Share this article

She
had 35 new lashes threaded into upper eyelids and around 400 hairs were
transplanted individually to fill out her brows in a similar procedure
to a hair transplant like footballer Wayne Rooney’s.

Dr Shahmalak had four technicians working with him to extract the hair follicles.

Elizabeth, pictured before having the procedure, says she had never been entirely happy with her eyebrows

Both operations, which lasted around three hours, were carried out under local anaesthetic.

Mrs Cook, from Harlow, Essex, was so relaxed during the eyebrow transplant that she managed to fall asleep.

‘Both
procedures were very straightforward,’ she said. ‘This way, you don’t
have to worry about causing damage to your natural features using
products like false eyelashes. I am thrilled with my new look. It’s the
best money I have ever spent.’

Surgeon Asim Shahmalak is one of nine surgeons in the world qualified to do eyelash and eyebrow transplants.

Elizabeth had the £4,000 eyelash transplant after damaging her eyelids using false lashes

She chose to have a £4,000 eyebrow transplant at the same time for cosmetic reasons

He
said the new hair transplanted to the brows and eyelids is harvested
from the head and therefore grows exactly like head hair.

Women with transplanted eyelashes and brows will need to trim them every couple of weeks.

Dr
Shahmalak said: ‘The transplanted hair needs to be curled and trimmed
so that it blends in nicely with the natural eyebrow and eyelash hair
which is already there.’

Both
operations, which have been pioneered in America, were introduced to
the UK by Dr Shahmalak – but this was the first time the surgeon had
performed both at the same time on one patient.

He said: ‘It was an exhausting day for all of us – no one has attempted to do both operations on the same day before.

‘Elizabeth
had damaged her eyelashes and required a transplant. She thought it
made sense to fill out her brows at the same time. Elizabeth’s new
lashes and brows will last her for the rest of her life.’

The mother of four said: ‘I had very thin lashes after damaging them through using false eyelashes over many years.

‘I had never been entirely happy with my eyebrows.

‘They had naturally been quite thin and I wanted a fuller brow. I just think they look far better following the transplant.’

Dr Shahmalak, at his clinic, says Elizabeth's new lashes and brows will last her for the rest of her life

Dr
Shahmalak said Britons are now embracing surgical techniques which have
become popular in America in recent years. He said: ‘I am the only
surgeon in the UK to currently carry out eyelash transplants.

‘It is amazing what these operations can do for a woman’s confidence and overall wellbeing.

‘So many patients come to me lacking in confidence because they are so unhappy about their hair.

‘Eyelashes and eyebrows make an important contribution to facial symmetry.

‘Get them right and they frame the face perfectly.

‘I make subtle but important changes to a patient’s appearance and transform their lives.’

Dr Shahmalak carried out the eyebrow transplant in the morning and the eyelash transplant in the afternoon

How to maintain eyelash and eyebrow transplants

Surgeon Asim Shahmalak is one of nine surgeons in the world qualified to do eyelash and eyebrow transplants.

He said the new hair transplanted to the brows and eyelids is harvested from the head - and therefore grows exactly like head hair.

Dr Shahmalak said: 'It means that the transplanted hair needs to be curled and trimmed so that it blends in nicely with the natural eyebrow and eyelash hair which is already there.

'Women with transplanted eyelashes and brows will need to curl and trim them every couple of weeks - so that the new hair looks completely natural.

'It is a very simple process and we can provide patients with beauty kits which allow them to do this.

'Patients quickly work out how to maintain their new brows and lashes and this curling and trimming becomes part of their regular beauty regime.'